COTE: Bag And Love System

　Even though she said that, seeing the expectation that couldn't be hidden in the girl's eyes, Hikaru Hashima didn't know how to refuse.

　Why is this girl suddenly so positive?

　　"Forget it, let's just leave it at that. Remember to tell them to bring their textbooks," Hashima Hikaru said with her hands outstretched and helplessly, "I haven't bought any snacks or tea for the guests."

　　"Okay, we can buy it first and bring it back later."

　　Ichinose waved her hand generously, indicating that she would take care of all of this.

　　"Okay."

　　After confirming Hashima Hikaru's attitude, the pink-haired girl seemed particularly happy. She swayed all around and seemed to be muttering about what she was going to buy.

　　Actually.

　　Hikaru Hashima took out today's textbook from the drawer and prepared for class.

　　 The day's classes ended quickly. Before school ended, Ichinose told the other students in the study group about the boy's answer. Everyone was very happy. After all, there wasn't a student in Class B who wasn't willing to have a good relationship with Hashima Hikaru.

　　 They said they wanted to go do some shopping first, and after confirming Hashima Hikaru's room number, the four of them left together, leaving the boy alone to go home with his school bag.

　　"Well, let's just have a study session. It's not a big deal."

　　 Anyway, we're all classmates, so anything is fine.

　　 About ten minutes after Hashima returned to his room, there was a knock on the door.

　　After opening the door, the first person I heard was naturally Ichinose Honami.

　　 "Good afternoon, Hashima-san. Sorry to bother you."

　　 The pink-haired girl walked through the door with a smile on her face. She was holding a clear plastic bag that seemed to contain a lot of things.

　　 Behind them were Shibata Sa and two other girls, Shiranami Chihiro and Himeno Yuki.

　　 "Excuse me."

　　 After greeting each other, everyone entered Hashima Hikaru's dormitory. There had been almost no changes since the beginning of the school year. After all, Hashima Hikari didn't like decorating or shopping, so it looked very simple.

　　 "Hey, Hashima, your room is too simple. There's nothing in it."

　　Shibata ran into the dormitory first, but found that the furnishings inside were extremely simple, without even a hint of emotion.

　　 "Isn't simplicity good? This is my style."

　　 Hashima smiled lightly and asked the other three girls to sit around the table in the middle of the dormitory. They all carried their own school bags and immediately took out the books from them.

　　 "Shibata, where's your textbook?" Seeing that Shibata Sa seemed a little dissatisfied, the boy called out his name.

　　 "Don't worry, I plan to stay at your house for a while and should come here more often in the future."

　　 After looking away from that strange guy, Hashima looked at the girl who was still standing at the entrance. She seemed to be putting the contents of the plastic bag into the refrigerator seriously.

　　 Not only that, Hashima also saw that Ichinose Honami seemed to be constantly adjusting the placement of the items in the refrigerator, and she seemed to be enjoying it.

　　 "..."

　　Why does she look pleased?

　　 After Ichinose Honami tidied up the refrigerator in the bedroom, she washed her face in the sink and then walked silently.

　　 "Then let's start learning now."

　　 "Umm."

　　 Although he saw what the girl had just done, Hashima Hikaru didn't know what to say for a moment.

　　 Ichinose Honami's stock price hasn't changed in the past few days and has remained stable at 150, but her demeanor has changed a lot compared to before. For example, she'll be more proactive in approaching Hashima Hikaru. It must be her idea to have a study session in the dorm this time.

　　 Of course she doesn't dislike Ichinose. At least having a beautiful girl around her is pleasing to the eye, right?

But right now, Hashima Hikaru's most important target is Kushima Kikyo, who has just bought shares. After finally dispelling his doubts, he naturally wants to build a closer relationship with her in order to make money, so he has no way to respond to Ichinose's enthusiasm.

　　 Nevermind, let's leave it at that for now.

　　 The boy made a silent decision in his mind and then sat down at the table with Ichinose Honami. After the five of them took their books

　　"Shiranami-san is weak in math, so I'll tutor her first." Naturally, Ichinose had gathered information before forming the team, so she gave orders without any problems. "Shibata-san is weak in science, so Himeno-san will be her tutor. Hashima-san is better at history, so she can tutor me and Shiranami-san later."

　　 "No problem."

　　"That's all for now."

　　 No one has any objections to this. If you compare the students in Class B to those in Class A, their grades are clearly lower, but overall they're not bad. At least, the average grades are consistently above the passing line.

　　 Also, the classmates are very nice to get along with. Although the learning process is a bit boring, it doesn't make everyone feel tortured. On the contrary, it makes people feel like time is passing quickly.

　　 After all, when you dedicate yourself to something, you unconsciously forget the passage of time.

　　 After about two hours, it was 6:30 in the evening and time for dinner.

　　 After everyone finished writing, it was Ichinose Honami who decided on the place to eat. Hashima Hikaru was now free and had no time to worry about anything. After leaving the decision in the girl's hands, he was able to simply take a break.

　　 I can also talk to Kikyo Kushida on the phone, after all, we need to keep in touch.

　　 After last night's conversation, there wasn't much change in the frequency of messages between the short-haired girl and him. Basically, they were still talking about Class D's study session. Kushida's attention was still on Horikita Suzune.

　　 Kikyo Kushida: I held another study session today, and the students I invited are different from last time.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Was it successful?

　　 Kushida Kikyo: Well, everything went more smoothly this time. It was easier to get along with the other classmates, so Horikita had a better attitude and completed the tutoring smoothly.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: That's good. Kushida-san is very enthusiastic about the work she does in class. It's very hard work.

　　 Kikyo Kushida: No, I'm very happy to see everyone progressing together.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Yes.

　　Right after sending this message, the boy heard Ichinose Honami's voice in doubt.

　　 "Hashima-san, are you chatting with someone?"

　　 "Uh, I'm just checking the news," Hashima Hikaru calmly turned the screen, raised his head, and asked, "Have you decided where to eat?"

　　 "It's decided, it's still a family restaurant."

Although she saw the boy playing with his mobile phone, Ichinose didn't say anything. What she cared about wasn't that, but whether the boy could stay by her side the whole time.

　　 "Come on, let's eat, let's eat." Shibata shrugged his shoulders and made a series of crunching sounds. "I've been studying for so long that I have to satisfy my stomach."

　　 Didn't you study during your classes during the day?

　　 Hashima Hikaru pretended to be confused and surprised and asked, "Are you slacking off in class?"

　　 "Of course not, I just feel like I studied more during study time. Don't get me wrong, I really love studying."

　　 "Shibata-san has always said in class that he wants to play soccer, but now he says he loves studying," the beautiful Himeno Yuki mercilessly exposed her true colors, "Do you think we'll believe it?"

　　"Hey, you're slandering me!"

　　 As he spoke, Shibata's face turned red and he hurriedly said things like playing soccer is very important, loving sports is a good habit, and the school requirement is to cultivate the comprehensive development of everyone's morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and work. Suddenly, Hashima Hikaru's dormitory was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

　　 When the atmosphere calmed down a bit, everyone was ready to leave.

　　"Okay, are you guys done yet?"

　　 Hashima Hikaru looked at several classmates while holding a trash bag. During the study session, he took the time to take out the snacks Ichinose had put in the refrigerator for everyone, so there was some trash on the floor, which has now been cleaned up.

　　 "Well, let's go to dinner. Today's on me."

　　 The young man smiled lightly. He wasn't counting the numbers at the moment. Moreover, since everyone came to visit him and bought things today, he naturally took the initiative to show some appreciation.

　　 After the group went downstairs, the sun was setting in the distance and getting closer to the horizon. The heat in the air was dissipated thanks to the cool breeze.

　　 Suddenly, Hashima Hikaru felt that such a quiet time was not bad. Except for the high-intensity operations of the first few days, most things had already been completed. He should be able to relax for a while before the next special exam begins.

　　 Last time, he and Ichinose Honami talked about maintaining the class system. Now there are regular study sessions as well. Class B's current situation can be summed up in four words.

　　 Thriving!

　　"I'm going to make you spend a lot of money today, Hashima. Are you ready?" Shibata said viciously from beside him.

　　"Yes, yes, if you can eat as much as you want and we can also stay at the restaurant and wash the dishes together."

　　 Ichinose Honami smiled and there seemed to be a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

　　"That's it." The boy nodded with a calm expression.

　　On the street bathed in the glow of the sunset, the students of Class B walked side by side, slowly advancing towards their destination. No matter what happened in the future, this friendship would never disappear.

In the following days, Hashima Hikaru's life has been very boring. The current study plan of Class B and the basic management of behavior in class are all handled by Ichinose Honami. He himself attends his own group's study session while communicating with Kushida Kikyo on the phone.

　　 In addition, I would sometimes briefly communicate with Horikita Suzune and learn about Kushida Kikyo's dynamics through her, so that I could firmly grasp the initiative in the later process.

　　 The only variable in those peaceful days was probably that Ichinose Honami appeared in Hashima Hikaru's dormitory more and more of the time. At first, it was to study, and later, it was to try new dishes.

　　 It was by chance that Hashima mentioned that he had some experience in cooking. After all, no matter whether in his past life or now, when his parents were too busy at work, he cooked for himself, so he had some experience in cooking.

　　 As a result, after hearing this, Ichinose Honami immediately expressed his interest in cooking and wanted to discuss cooking with Hashima Hikaru.

　　 The boy thought she was just saying it casually, but after school that day, Ichinose knocked on his door carrying different condiments and some purchased ingredients.

　　 "Hehehe, Hashima-san, I came to talk about cooking with you."

　　 Looking at the serious look on the girl's face and the glint in her eyes that showed she wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal, Hashima could only accept her proposal.

　　 Then, his bedroom directly became a laboratory for new dishes.

　　 And most importantly, during this process, Hashima Hikaru discovered that Ichinose's cooking skills were really good. Although they talked about cooking, most of the time she was the one cooking while the boy enjoyed the food.

　　 "Is something wrong? Why do I feel like I've become a better person without even thinking about it..."

　　With a bowl in her hand, Hashima Hikaru recalled the recent changes in her life.

　　 She couldn't help but look at the pink-haired girl standing in front of the stove in the bedroom. She was wearing a blue checkered apron and lowered her head to process the fried tempura in the pot.

　　 "Forget it, this rice is really delicious, let's eat it first."

　　 Time passed quietly without anyone noticing and soon the last night of April arrived. It was the first month since the start of the school year. Except for the intense recycling point plan at the beginning, Hashima Hikaru had a great time for the rest of the month.

　　 Sitting at his desk, the boy was looking at Class B's group chat with messages popping up on his phone.

Tomorrow is May 1st, and the new class ranking will be announced in the morning. Everyone in Class B has worked hard together for a month, so they are naturally looking forward to the announcement of the results.

　　 In the Class B family group chat right now.

　　 Sayo Ando: What kind of results will Mr. Hoshinomiya announce tomorrow? Will we be able to advance to Class A?

　　 Kanzaki Ryuji: In this regard, I think we have high hopes. Didn't Hashima-san add 100 points to our class evaluation score? That's the advantage.

　　 Shibata Sa: Haven't we been working hard during this period? Under the leadership of Hashima-san and Ichinose-san, we have completely banned things that are not allowed in school.

　　 Ichinose Honami: Yes, we have all worked very hard and I think there is hope.

　　 While other students were excitedly discussing whether they would be promoted to a higher grade tomorrow, Hashima did not send any messages. After all, the power to calculate the class assessment grades lies with the school. They had no idea whether points had been deducted or how many points had been deducted.

　　 On the other hand, Katsuragi and Sakayanagi are not simple characters. Although they are now fiercely fighting for control of the class, as members of Class A, they will naturally be stricter with their fellow classmates in their faction to maintain excellent habits.

　　 Moreover, Class A students already have a high overall quality and know what not to do, so there is no need to emphasize it too much.

　　 Therefore, the boy really had no idea whether he could be promoted to the next grade.

　　 Although the students of Class B are united, that doesn't mean that they don't all make mistakes. At least the probability of them making mistakes is higher than that of Class A.

　　"In short, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the result."

　　 Hashima Hikaru fell onto her bed, when suddenly her cell phone rang.

　　 Kushida Kikyo: Hashima-san, will the new class rankings be announced tomorrow?